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As of today, profootballtalk.com came out with a list of the current salary cap space for every team, revealing that the Cards have $2.1 million worth of room after their moves thus far. It’s no longer the least space in the league — four teams have less and the Cowboys are also at $2.1M — and gives the Cards a little breathing room right now.

The latest Demetrius Bell information is simply that the tackle has yet to sign anywhere, and I believe the Cards remain interested in signing him. As I have mentioned before, his number of visits while remaining unsigned usually points to a salary desire that’s higher than market value. There’s always a chance that could change. Bell has reportedly visited the Packers and Redskins besides the Cards, and he’s now in Pittsburgh and has a visit lined up with the Eagles, who lost stud starter Jason Peters to a ruptured Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. Demand is climbing, so Bell might have been smart to wait. He may not leave Pennsylvania.

The Cards will continue to monitor the free-agent market and by now, Bell aside, most players are coming down in price because teams are beginning to set rosters. The last thing you want as a free agent is to be without a team by the draft, because once teams draft players, they aren’t filling holes with anything but guys that can be had on the cheap, usually.

57 Responses
to “Cards have a little cap room, still looking”

And still have to fit Haggans, Zastudil and I’m presuming Abdullah plus the 5 mil or so allotted to draft choices.
More restructuring ahead, IYO, or going to await the signings and make cuts accordingly?

Hey Darren off topic but have u seen the new Nike Jerseys? Also is there anyway you can forward the message to the people who make Madden and tell them it’s the Cardinals and not the Cardinal!!!!!!! My fiancée pointed it out ,

This is what I think the cards should do:
-Remove the tender offer from Brandon Williams and Ronald Talley
-Reduce contract of Stewart Bradley, Reggie Walker, and Mike Leach or cut 2 of them which might increase cap space
-Cut Marshay Green, D’Anthony Batiste, and D.J. Young.

I know some of these players signed contracts already but in order to get some cap space back, the cards might need to do some of these changes.

Sign Demetrius Bell if possible or just get a good tackle in the draft.

Marcus McNiel Is still available too. Has there been any interest in him by the Cardinals staff ? I don’t think either Bell or McNiel being signed would change the fact we still have to take a LT 1st in the draft. Both are injury prone.

My God, what is with the “interest” crap??? The Cardinals are forever “interested” in players. That doesn’t get it done. If you want the guy, then SIGN HIM ALREADY!!! Or, wait for him to sign with the Eagles ( very likely ) and then you won’t have to worry about it anymore. This team sets new standards for poor performance during FA. Un-friggin-believable. Then again…we WERE 8-8 last season. Where could we POSSIBLY need to improve?

Why don’t you give the Organization some of your money so they can sign all these player you want, if not stop crying about it and if you pay’d attention Whiz said they were not going to be a big splash in FA this year…

did not know we had anyone named haggins on our team. i do recall a clark haggans who has been a fairly useful player for us for the last few years. i don’t know if he is still under contract but i would not be disappointed if he played another year for us. i do think joey porter is done but i think most would agree that he once was a pretty good player and deserves to be remembered as such.

A splash? Really? I’d be happy with a ripple at this point. As for my money, I contribute enough to this team through the merchandise I buy on a regular basis to show my support as a fan. Managing their salary cap is THEIR job and they get paid pretty well to do it. Gimme a break.

Darren,
Is my memory correct? Porter was originally brought in as an example for the younger players. He was expected to produce, of course, but it was supposed to be rotational. If I remember right, when Hayes went to I.R., Lenon replaced him. Lenon was originally brought in to platoon the outside LB position with Porter, and all of this caused Porter to play more than the coaches wanted his old body to play — causing him to breakdown.

I don’t know if I remember any of this correctly, but the point is that Joey Porter did nothing that any Cardinal fan should be angry about. Ahem, Dan.

Some details were slightly different, but your points are valid. That said I think Porter expected more of himself and the Cards needed more from him, especially in 2010. But he did take more reps than he should have.

So how does everyone feel about the 2011 FA signings? It seems the biggest money was spent on players that have thus far not panned out (Kolb, Heap, Bradley) and helped cause the current salary cap issues.

drummer1,
You are something else calling Cardinal fans “bums” etc…and for Darren to ban whoever you don’t like. If only you could determine who attends home games via your invites and if anyone wants to watch the game on TV at home, bar, etc…they should be restricted unless receiving permission, by you. I think you should try to see the good in all Cardinal fans and stop being so negative.

drummer-1,
Let me use your logic for only one moment(reaching out for someone/thing to protect me), you say “…or sitting behind a computer complaining, let’s see… who’s the bum.”
Wouldn’t that make you a bum? Aren’t you sitting behind a computer complaining(about fans)?

Darren, is there any interest in other positional needs in free agency, besides Demetrius, that the Cardinals have look in to?
Cards Need- LB CB OL WR
Free Agents Available(unless if mistaken)-
Offensive Lineman: Jason Brown, Max Starks, Demetrius Bell
Linebackers: London Fletcher, Aaron Maybin, Barrett Ruud, Rocky Mcintosh, Bradie James, Geno Hayes
Cornerbacks: Lardarius Webb , Dominique Foxworth, Terrence Newman
Wide Receiver: Patrick Crayton, Plaxico Burress, Braylon Edwards, Roy Williams, Mike Sims-Walker
Taking in consideration of the “little cap room” we have left, signing Demetrius Bell to help the O-line is most needed. But, the Cardinals lack a No. 2 receiver and depth in cornerback and linebacker. Lardarius Webb would be an interesting pick up.
Cardinals Draft Picks- RD 1- 13 Rd2-none RD3-pick 18 (80) Rd 4-pick 17 (112)
Also Considering that the Draft isn’t too far away,
Cardinals could Sign Demetrius Bell in FA, then draft if still available DE Melvin Ingram out of South Carolina. But if Cards don’t sign Bell, I would hope they get that Martin guy out of Stanford. If we don’t sign Bell and if Martin isn’t there, draft Michael Floyd.
Although, if Morris Clairborne drops to 13, I don’t mind having 2 LSU corners. Also, im big on having a two back system. Trent Richardson could drop to the Cardinals because the only teams that need a RB that pick before Cardinals is Colts, Redskins, and Browns, possibly Bucs (blount). Colts get Luck, Redskins get RG3, Browns get two options draft Richardson or trade down and get Ryan Tannehill. Don’t be surprised though if the Browns make a trade down considering their interest in Tannehill could be true.

Heap is not a huge cap hit. Kolb and Bradley are both in completely new systems without the benefit of an offseason to learn. Give them time they could still be worth it.

Cardsalltheway –

“I think you should try to see the good in all Cardinal fans and stop being so negative.” I hope this is a joke coming from you…

Scott H –

This isn’t monopoly money they are using here. They are under the cap right now so they are doing their job. They are hopeful they are going to extend Campbell which will free up additional cap space later this summer for the draft picks. If they need to create more room they can and will but won’t do so until there is a need. There is a plan in place. Just because you don’t know what it is or think that you do and it doesn’t make sense to you is just something you are going to have to deal with because it won’t be made known to the public before the draft. That would idiotic. Keep in mind, everyone else is predicting who we will take in the draft but never have you heard it come from Graves or Whiz or anyone else. Whiz did say they didn’t anticipate being major players in FA. He acknowledged that they need to upgrade and get better play from certain positions. Snyder is an upgrade over Hadnot and bringing back some of the core players for a price the organization is willing to spend on them has seemed to work. This team went 7-2 down the stretch and the FO and coaching staff thinks that with those same players back they can continue that success. Losing Marshall hurt but Gay should be able to fill in. But with that kind of success there isn’t a need for major moves to be made. What have the playoff teams from last year done in FA so far? The way we were playing at the end of last season I think puts us in that category. Stop playing Madden and thinking it works the same way in real life.

How many FAs have the Giants signed? What about last year? Pretty sure they had a good year.

Who won the FA Bowl last year, the Eagles. How did they do? The word train wreck comes to mind.

The 49ers did pretty well last year. Who did they go after? Great teams don’t build through FA but intsead add a few small pieces and stick to a plan.

Darren, On a serious note. I’m planning coming down from Denver to Flag this year. I’m thinking around Red and White game? If it rains a lot, is the indoor facility going to be open to fans this year? Don’t want to drive down and not get to see much practice.

I think the only way they draft him is if they don’t sign Bell in Free agency and both Ingram and Floyd are off the board when 13th pick is on the clock. Then, you could draft him and move Synder to Right tackle, play L Brown at Left tackle and be prepared to take alot of grief from Card fans who want a “splash” on draft night.

They don’t announce workouts, but I think, given needs, you can pick out some obvious players they probably would be eying: tackles like Reiff and Martin, DeCastro at guard, probably Floyd at receiver, a pass rusher like Ingram.

Me negative..hahaha, only toward people like you, i’m not going to argue with you.. You really need to read your own post to see who’s negative, as for banning people i don’t like, thats just YOU…. I like everyone else, they actually use logic when they post.. You call me negative? read your next 2 post after your comment to me.. Have a wonderful day…

Have never played Madden in my life and probably never will. Since I’ve never played it, I have no idea what your point is / was. And as to your question as to what have last year’s playoff teams have done in FA so far…well, do you realize how foolish that question is??? First, the Cardinals were NOT a playoff team last year. So, don’t put them in that category. Teams that DID make the playoffs last year are obviously among the better teams in the league and ( generally ) have fewer needs than those that did NOT make the playoffs. Most of the teams that made the playoffs last year are well-situated to do so again next year. In the NFC, that list would include – 49ers, Falcons, Saints, Giants, and Packers. Since YOU raised the question, you tell me – how much did ANY of these teams need to improve via FA??? If you’re being honest, your answer should be not much. Therefore, you have the answer to your question – that many of last year’s playoff teams are not doing much in FA because many of them really don’t need to.

I never said the Cardinals were a playoff team. What I was saying is that the mentality of the front office is that this team has the talent of a playoff team already based on the way they finished(7-2 if you don’t remember plus the fact that of the first 6 loses at least 3 should have gone our way). That was my point. That is why they do not feel there is a need to make a big splash. Therefore, my question was not that foolish based on the logic of the front office. But since you are so concerned with bringing in a “splash” FA, you don’t see what is already here. For a team that finished 7-2 down the stretch and was probably a playoff caliber team with better QB play, we don’t need to throw money at a big name free agent. Keep the players we have, if we lose any, then replace them(ie William Gay replacing Marshall for 1/3 of the price and can play the same role). Yes there are a couple upgrades needed and at this point it appears that they will be addressed during the draft. Hopefully Bell comes here which will give us some flexibilty later this month.

Also, what else do all of those playoff teams from last year have in common? The majority of those teams had been together for a number of years and thus were not impacted as much by the lockout as teams like us who needed to bring in 51 new players including a new QB. If you remember back to training camp there were so many new players they had to go back putting tape with their names on their helmets. We didn’t have the continuity those other teams had. But it showed halfway through the season that it could be there.

In regards to my Madden reference, it’s easy to throw your money around in free agency and sign whoever you want. Seems that is your mentality with your frustration due to a lack of a “splash”. We don’t have the cap room for it. If the opportunity came up, yes, the front office would look at restructuring contracts to make room. But there is no point in doing it until absolutely necessary.

Brian,
I don’t dis Card fans when they don’t see eye to eye with me, when they dis me I might raise questions. I defend myself and tell it like it is. I’m not a softy.

drummer-1,
“only toward people like you”
Are you trying to fib me? Are you saying no other Cardinal fan is like me? You speak from two sides of your mouth and I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. You often attack anyone who suggests the slightest negative thing on this site and elsewhere. When a fan blames a coach for a loss you’re on the attack. If the sky were gray when the Cardinal stadium roof was open, you’d say the sky wasn’t gray or the roof wasn’t open. No drop of rain could possibly drop on the Cardinal grass during a game.

Brian – if we have no cap space, then how could the team ever have entertained the idea of signing Peyton Manning? Doesn’t make sense.
Why are we letting go of our our defensive MVP from last year, while our arch competitor in the division manages to keep all their defensive starters? I know, limited cap space (refer to my question #1).
Why are we failing to sign a FA tackle & keep someone like Stewart Bradley? Betting on his potential? Sorry, the rest of D found a way to perform in the 2nd half of the season, except him. He’s way too expensive for what ended up to be a special teams player.
And of course, the decision to pay Levi that kind of signing bonus perplexes us all. 4-1/2 years of less than average performance does not a good right tackle make.
Every year we Cards fans trust that the organization knows what they are doing. And every year we watch our O-line / QB positions continue to malfunction. We are frustrated – can you blame us?

It must be the weather or maybe its like the stomach flu virus, destructive and invisible. I’m talking about the absence of any moves by the Suns and Now, the absence of moves to shore up the worst offensive line in the NFl by the Cardinals.
It must be in the air and those infected become clueless and fall victim to the symptoms and then pass it on to others…like us.
Where is the impetus to go out and make an aggressive move, an aggressive statement that Our team is really serious and a threat to be reckoned with?
My little kids get it. The O-line sucks. The O-line contributed to Kevin’s concussions and I’m sure scared off Manning the Neck.
Maybe Calais Campbell can play both ways.
One thing for sure, Cardinals and Cardinal Fans will be going into 2012 with as many questions about the swiss cheese line as we had @ Christmas.
Whoopee
p.s. Maybe we all should start wearing those masks seen in hospitals and on airlines to keep from catching the “Virus” at future Suns and Cards Games.

Well, as you can see, I ain’t the only one who is frustrated. And I NEVER said ANYWHERE at ANY TIME that the Cardinals needed to make a “splash” in FA. So, don’t put words or opinions in my mouth. Here on this blog, the word “splash” was used by someone else. I used it in my response. But suddenly, now it was MY opinion, right? Wrong. I am well aware of the 7-2 finish last year. It was a beautiful thing and very encouraging. It did NOT erase the need we have at WR, which is the ONE thing I wanted to see done during FA. It didn’t happen. Oh well. Ya know what else didn’t get done? A deal for Calais Campbell. Ya know what else didn’t get done? Keeping Richard Marshall here when they ( supposedly ) wanted to keep him. So, let’s understand that a failure to do much of anything in FA is NOT the only source of frustration here.

Look, you be a fan in your way. I’ll be a fan in my way. You don’t have to approve of my view or my thought process. But it doesn’t have to jibe with yours to be just as worthwhile.

IMO, the team entertained the idea of Peyton Manning because as has been said before, if a team wants to make cap space, they will find a way and if we didn’t at least entertain the idea, can you imagine what the backlash would have been like from the fans? I’m sure players like Dockett, Wilson and Fitz may have all been willing to restructure to bring in a player like Manning. But he’s a first ballot HOF QB that rarely ever hits FA so they had to test the waters. If he told Whiz that he wanted to come here, those restructuring talks would have taken place with those players. Also, at the beginning of his FA period, there wasn’t a thought that he would get a contract like he had in Indy. But teams with the cap space started throwing money at him thus taking us out of the running. In regards to Marshall, he’s not Manning. The team had him pegged at a certain value and Miami offered him more than we were willing to pay for someone who would most likely be a nickel corner. Most of his production came because Rhodes was hurt. Rhodes is back this year and Gay was brought in at 1/3 the price and knows the system already so there is not much of a learning curve. It’s also a business and I think it was smart business on both sides. Marshall got a lot more money and we replaced him with someone who won’t be a huge drop off.

Stewart Bradley – I agree he didn’t do anything this season but releasing him was not going to help free up much cap room next season anyway. Give him an offseason and see what next season brings. I think he has talent but Lenon outplayed him this season so he didn’t get in much.

FA Tackles & Levi – I know everyone wants to hate Levi but he was rated as one of the better FA tackles available this year and has played well at RT. They brought him back at a more reasonable price and the $16 million he was due. Winston was available but he failed a physical and the Texans obviously felt he wasn’t worth the remainder of his contract which raises flags. Bell is still out there and if he accepts a contract for what we are willing to pay him then I hope he comes here because that gives us flexibility in the draft. But I don’t think we should overpay for someone who is still somewhat of an unknown and has a history of injuries. He knows he’s in demand right now so his asking price is probably way above what any team he has visited is willing to pay.

I understand the frustration. I want this team to win just like everyone else. But I don’t think a lack of spending means the team is not getting better or making an effort to get better. When was the last time the Redskins or Cowboys in all of their crazy spending win a Super Bowl? What did the 49ers do last year in FA(Rogers and Edwards). This year they re-signed Alex Smith, brought in a 36 yr old volatile WR and a WR who made a great catch in the Super Bowl but can’t seem to stay healthy otherwise. Their success was a product of keeping the core players together and drafting well, not big FA moves. The NFL is about keeping your core together and building on recent success and that means keeping the players you can and if they leave, you fill the void. All I’m saying is look at the team we had last year that ended the season 7-2. The majority of it is coming back. Give our QBs an offseason to compete and get better and that 1-6 start will long be forgotten. Marshall is gone but everyone else(plus Toler) is back so our D should be fine. If our QBs improve, we will put up more than 17-18 pts a game and that 1-6 start could be a 6-1 start. People don’t need to jump off a bridge and say the season is over just because we didn’t sign a bunch of big name free agents. Sorry, I’m just trying to bring some positivity to counteract all the negativity towards this offseason.

Well stated. But let me suggest that frustration and negativity are not the same thing. Any one post by any one person could be interpreted 10 different ways by 10 different people. Am I frustrated? Yes. But I don’t FEEL nagative, despite how my posts come across. Would I tell you right now that I believe the 49ers are a better team than the Cardinals. Yes, I would. And, frankly, I think that’s more of a fact than an opinion. BUT…if the Cardinals were playing those same 49ers tomorrow, would I wake up feeling like the Cardinals were gonna win the game? Oh, you better believe I would! And I would invite every single fan who blogs here to join me for the game, no matter what any of our exchanges have been. ‘Cause at that point, anyone wearing Cardinal red is right there in the fox hole with me and the enemy is / are the guys wearing the other jerseys.

Last thing. I agree with you completely and am in the foxhole with you but the thing for me is that people’s frustration does come across as negativity when they complain about the Bidwells(yes I know it’s Bidwill) being cheap and not caring about improving the organization. Maybe I misinterpreted your earlier post and I apologize for starting this whole thing but I think my annoyance with all the negativity stemming from people’s frustration boiled over. I give props to Darren for having the patience to run this blog but even he has had moments of having to explain to people how the real NFL works to where people have complained about him being rude(which I completely disagree with and find those responses very entertaining). Not saying I know everything but the more people do know about it, the less people will feel the need to come on here and completely bash the organization. This isn’t the Cardinals of old. MB has changed the culture with a new stadium and the willingness to spend money when possible. Not every move has been the best but this team is in a much better spot than they were 5 years ago and I just hope everyone on here can see that the future of this organization is bright and not cloudy like the days at Sun Devil(except it was really sunny and hot but you get my point).